ASC2020 - 16-19 Feb, Melbourne

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Delving deeper with design thinking

This workshop will introduce participants to design thinking and, through hands-on activities, demonstrate its different stages and how they can be used for many purposes, including to help science communicators develop more relevant content and for engaging audiences more effectively.

Using the Whittlesea Tech School as a case study, which is part of the new Victorian government initiative intending to transform secondary school education, we will illustrate how we use design thinking to empower young people to take on global and local challenges.

This session aims to demonstrate the widespread applications of design thinking and how it can be used by science communicators for both developing content and delivering content with more effective audience engagement. Participants will gain hands-on experience with the design thinking methodology and learn ways in which they could implement design thinking into their own work context through reflective discussion.

This session will be structured with a brief presentation on design thinking and how the Whittlesea Tech School uses design thinking to empower young people and build their science literacy and communication skills. In the form of short hands-on activities, participants will then be guided through the different stages of design thinking to solve a global issue. They will work in groups and the workshop will conclude with a pitching session.

Workshop Facilitator

Vhairi Mackintosh, STEM Communication Officer, Whittlesea Tech School

Michael Wilson, STEM Communication Officer, Whittlesea Tech School

 

When: Wednesday 19th February, 11:00am–12:50pm

Where: Room G03, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton

Hashtag: TBC

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Breaking Business as Usual: Using creativity to imagine purpose and practice in the Radical Decade

We’re about to enter the Radical Decade. What will your story be?

We’re in a climate emergency. Teenagers are gluing themselves to bridges to protest systemic inaction. Protests and demonstrations are breaking out around the world. Yet thirty years after James Hansen’s testimony to US Congress, our civilisational supertanker plows on with emissions-as-usual. We’ve missed our opportunity to make incremental change, so the coming decade will need to be radical.

This experiential workshop will break down all of your assumptions about the role of science communication and ask you to back-cast your story around a very different future. When you look back in years to come, what story will you tell about the role you played in the radical decade? Combining creativity, improvisation, complexity and systems thinking, we’ll challenge you to radically reorient your own approach to science communication.

We’ll give you the tools to jump into the unknown, lean-in to risk and use creativity to thrive in a time of great uncertainty. You’ll leave with new possibilities that will help you re-imagine and re-shape the role you want to play in what will be humanity’s critical decade.

 

What will participants gain from attending your session?

Participants will be challenged to deeply interrogate their own assumptions and practice in order to find new ways to engage with audiences with creativity, empathy, courage and imagination. They will gain:

  • Increased awareness of structural, cultural and personal assumptions that constrain practice
  • The opportunity to reimagine their role in a decade that will require transformational change
  • Practice in using creativity and improvisation activities to spark empathy and imagination, lean-in to risk, learn to jump and embrace uncertainty
  • Strategies for rethinking the fundamentals of their work, drawn from very different domains of knowledge and practice
  • An opportunity to identify specific actions and methods to challenge, rethink and improve their practice on an ongoing basis

Session Producer/ Workshop facilitator

Vicki Kyriakakis, Storyteller, Improviser & Marketing Strategist, Monash Sustainable Development Institute

David Robertson, Connector, Science Communicator & Educator, Monash Sustainable Development Institute

 

When: Wednesday 19th February, 9:30am-10:30am & 11:00am-12:00 noon

Where: Room G31, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton

Hashtag: TBC

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Stereotypes: A Choice

When: Monday 12th November, 10:25am – 12:55pm
Where: L2, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #M6

Does gender matter when it comes to science communication? What about intersectionality? This session will explore how identity and demographics can influence opportunity for science communicators (and professionals within STEM more broadly) and what strategies can be employed to target self-perception and reframe gender stereotypes. This interactive session is designed to get you thinking and talking to others in the field in engaging, thought provoking activities.

Presenter

Merryn McKinnon, Lecturer, Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, The Australian National University

 

 

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Case studies: Cultural Institutions and Festivals

When: Tuesday 13th November, 9:15am – 11:15am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #T3

Cultural Institutions and Festivals play a major role in communicating science. They have access to large numbers of students and the public and have great influence over what is presented. Find out what the speakers are doing in this space.

The session is structured into 85-minutes of talks and will wrap-up with a 35-minute Q&A for delegates questions and comments.

The session will include the following talks:

Session Producer

 

Session Chair

 

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21st century comms: emerging digital, technical and social trends to anticipate: Simulation case studies from AIE

When: Tuesday 13th November, 9:15am – 11:15am
Where: Theatre, Level 2 down the stairs to the right of the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #T2

This presentation focuses on emerging digital, technical and social trends in Virtual and Augmented Reality as 21st century communication technologies. We will first introduce the facilities and infrastructure used in a number of pioneering research projects in the last 15 years at the Virtual Reality (VR) lab and the Simulation Hub of Macquarie University, and explore Academy of Interactive Entertainment’s educational philosophy and involvement in digital content creation. Then, explaining the differences between Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality concepts, we will discuss emerging trends by reviewing a number of most recent VR & AR market reports and survey results. Finally, we will demonstrate a number of simulations developed by VISOR (Virtual and Interactive Simulation of Reality) team at Macquarie University, reflecting on our past experiences in research funding. Thus, we hope to be able to project what might possibly be in demand and get funded in the near future.  Survey results state that startup founders, tech executives, investors, and consultants expect gaming to attract the most investment for the coming year. More social and collaborative applications of AR and VR are expected to appear as well as smartphone applications. High prices, overhyped hardware, and lack of compelling content are seen as the biggest missed opportunities in this domain. Number of headsets sold are expected to increase and AR market is predicted to be four times bigger than VR, due to its accessibility. The top unsolved problems include comfortable locomotion, light and inexpensive headsets, as well as quality content. We will conclude the presentation by listing the challenges ahead as well as the potential solutions to these. Major challenges are listed as lack of skills due to the face pace of technology and being up to date with the practical skills, low number of domain experts, the number of start up funds and the size of grants, the limited amount of proper digital content, high costs of hardware, as well as mindset of corporates. Solutions we suggest are university and vocational education courses focusing on VR and AR content development, collaboration and close-knit partnerships to build learning communities, novel subscription models for sharing infrastructure and expertise, tech industry friendly immigration laws allowing knowledge transfer, better and easier access to large funding, easy to use VR and AR libraries and toolkits, and encouraging the corporates to take risks for long term benefits rather than short term rewards. We recommend to build an Australian version of Silicon Valley and a large VR and AR Training Center to drive innovations and industry access to talent.

Presenter

Associate Professor Manolya Kavakli, Academic Director of AIE Institute (Academy of Interactive Entertainment) and Director of the Virtual Reality Lab at the Simulation Hub, Macquarie University

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Sci Comm Cabaret: Creative Science Communication in the Pub

When: Sunday 11th November, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Where: 3 Wise Monkeys Pub (upstairs), 555 George Street, Sydney
Hashtag: #s3

Free for conference delegates (RSVP during registration) or purchase separately.

Register now!

Science Communicators from around the country show off their creative approaches to communication in an informal setting, to start the conference off with a bang.

Expect Stand Up, Stories, Songs, Poetry and more from all walks of science in this no-holds-barred night celebrating innovation in sci comm, and a love of science delivered with truly entertaining style.

A great chance to make new connections, catch up with old colleagues and get inspired for the conference.

Lineup

Dr Phil Dooley (Phil Up On Science) wants to know what Schrodinger’s cat thinks about still being in a box 100 years later.

Heather Catchpole‘s poetry will make you smile, frown and dance like Gloria Gaynor.

Michael Mills‘ alter-ego Professor Flint frequently causes dinosaur stampedes.

Petr Lebedev doesn’t bother doing science communication, he gets artificial intelligence to do it -Imagine Carl Sagan and William Shakespeare in a blender.

JT Yeung is going to tell us the story of the Indian frog prince who could fight viruses.

Dr Michael Leach’s science poems are pub-tested with a collective called “The Write Stuff” and in the 2018 Bendigo Writers Festival.

When energy is supplied in the form of Swing Dancing music, Rachel Rayner undergoes Lindy Hop phase transition from solid to liquid to gas.

Wildlife monitoring student Shannon Panuska has some koala-ty StandUp to share.

Ecological hip hop artist Dave Wong likes chatting with endangered goannas.

Presenter slots still available, contact philuponscience@gmail.com to get involved.

Keep tabs on the conversation and express your interest on the Facebook event here.

Purchase separately ($10 or $5 for members) or free for conference delegates (RSVP during registration).

Register now!

**This is a public event. Register to save your seat!**

Share on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/848630658859692/

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Including Scientists in SciComm

When: Tuesday 13th November, 9:15am – 11:15am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #T3

This session will explore the range of different ways Questacon engages and collaborates with scientists and STEM professionals. It will highlight how this collaboration can create richer and more genuine engagement opportunities for students and the general public, connecting them to relevant STEM ideas and challenges. It will also show how this collaboration can create a learning experience for the involved scientist/STEM professional.
Examples include:

  • Questacon’s Regional Invention Conventions using STEM professionals to pose design and innovation challenges to students, giving them a problem to solve with real world connection
  • Boutique Botanical Teacher PD, developed alongside the 2017 ACT Scientist of the Year to bring plant science into the classroom.
  • Mind in Residence program, using local academics to develop new content within Questacon in the form of shows and demonstrations, helping bring cutting edge science to the public
  • Enterprising Australians web portal, using STEM professionals to tell stories of innovation, becoming inspiration for the next generation of innovators

Session

Case studies: Cultural Institutions and Festivals

Presenters

Broderick Matthews, A/g National Programs Manager, Questacon

Amelia Coman, Special Activities and External Liaison Officer, Questacon

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Permission to be Bold: Art-Science Engagement

When: Tuesday 13th November, 9:15am – 11:15am
Where: L1, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #T4

Communicating science and technology research that has societal impacts can be challenging. Individuals engage with research from diverse points of view, and some communication, event and activity formats do not incorporate or acknowledge these different personal and cultural narratives. This can exclude or discourage audiences, or miss opportunities to reach new ones.

This interactive workshop will explore how art science collaborations can offer a different way to engage audiences with such research. With a ground-up introduction, selected examples from world practice, collaborative activities, and take-home tips from experienced facilitators, participants can dip a toe into the excitement, challenge and rigour involved in facilitating, producing or participating in art-science collaborations.

Session Producers/Workshop Facilitators/Presenters

David Robertson, Lecturer, Monash University

Lizzie Crouch, Senior Coordinator of Engagement, SensiLab, Monash University

Presenter

Nathan Harrison, Performer and Writer, Applespiel

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Informal post conference drinks

When: Wednesday 14th November, 6:00pm onwards
Where: Pumphouse Restaurant and Bar, 17 Little Pier St, Darling Harbour

Not finished mingling and having fun yet? Then join us for a drink at the Pumphouse Restaurant and Bar.  The ASC NSW branch will be providing some snacks whilst you continue to discuss the amazing content that has been on display at the conference for three days.

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Sydney Science Festival in Review: Audiences, Motivations and Modes of Engagement

When: Tuesday 13th November, 9:15am – 11:15am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #T3

Featuring more than 200 events in 2018, the Sydney Science Festival (SSF) celebrates and showcases Sydney’s diverse and multidisciplinary science and innovation community through a program of talks, hands-on workshops, exhibitions and family events exploring all areas of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM). Since its inception in 2015, the Sydney Science Festival has seen yearly growth and is the largest science festival in Australia happening during National Science Week. In 2017, the Festival attracted more than 70,000 audience members to science events throughout Sydney and more are expected in 2018*. The 2018 Sydney Science Festival presented a diverse program of events ranging from large hands-on free family events in parks, lunchtime talks with experts to performative science-themed events for intergenerational audiences. The growing momentum behind the Sydney Science Festival demonstrates an appetite for meaningful opportunities to meet experts and learn about science in formal and informal social settings.

In this proposed case study, I will present the results of 2018 Sydney Science Festival report and audience evaluation, highlighting audience profiles and discussing what motivates audiences to attend the Sydney Science Festival. This will provide insight into the effectiveness of Festivals and similar programs and will identify future opportunities to engage with new and returning science audiences.

*2018 results currently being collected

Session

Case studies: Cultural Institutions and Festivals

Presenter

Catherine Polcz, Program Producer (Science), Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences

Australian Science Communicators

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Questions? Please contact Kali on asc2020@asc.asn.au.

Acknowledgements

© 2020 Australian Science Communicators

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